People seem to have an opinion about everything these days whether it is about the color of another person’s shirt or gay rights. On a personal note, I believe that gay rights should not be affected by public opinion because not everyone is homosexual. Throughout the findings in “Public Opinion and State Action on Same-Sex Marriage” Gregory B. Lewis and Seong Soo Oh have found that most Americans favor opposite-sex marriage rather than same-sex. The major question found within the article lies within the research findings; Are Americans’ opinions so important about same-sex marriage that states must act upon the majority favor? The underlying causal theory that Lewis and Oh derive is that indeed public opinion does affect public policy and that even one opposing voice over the thousands will not be heard (Lewis, Oh 42). Lewis and Oh have gathered numerous researches including bivariate and multivariate analyses and proved this causal relationship to be accurate. Lewis and Seong Soo Oh obtained 57 surveys on same-sex marriage from the iPOLL search engine. This contained about 69,000 people. 49 dummy variables, and gives the conclusion that the north eastern part of the United States was more supportive of gay marriage than the rest of the country. The bivariate analysis conducted shows passage for laws banning same-sex marriage, and then reports bivariate logit coefficients for state constitutional amendment models. Throughout this experiment, they have concluded that the effect of public opinion is very strong and continuing to grow. Confounding variables such as citizen and government liberalism, legislative and gubernatorial party strength, and the strength of the gay and evangelical communities were all expressed in terms of... ... middle of paper ... ...nt. The research proves to be completely accurate, but Lewis and Seong Soo Oh did not solve for all the confounding variables that could relate to public opinion that has an effect on gay rights. They did assess the causal claim, and the experiment was efficiently done. The extensive work done throughout the experiment initiated the conclusion that public opinion does indeed factor into the passing and banning of gay rights. There are many other factors that may affect public opinion and it is up to the individual on whether or not they want to voice it. In my opinion the world today is a diverse melting pot, and the generation has morphed into something that has never been like before. Works Cited Public Opinion and State Action on Same-Sex Marriage Gregory B. Lewis and Seong Soo Oh State & Local Government Review , Vol. 40, No. 1 (2008) , pp. 42-53
Stoddard uses many successful techniques to support his major claim that gay marriage should be made legal. He misuses a few techniques, but overall his paper was a success. He keeps his argument strong through emotional appeal, strong evidence, use of authority, and great warrants.
Abstract On June 26, 2015 a divided Supreme Court ruled in the landmark case Obergefell v. Hodges that same-sex couples could now marry nationwide. At the time of the split ruling there were 9 supreme court justices, 5 of the justices were Republicans, and the remaining 4 were Democrats. In high profile cases it is except that the justices will vote along party lines. When the 5-4 ruling was reveled by the following statement. “It would misunderstand these men and women to say they disrespect the idea of marriage. Their plea is that they do respect it, respect it so deeply that they seek to find its fulfillment for themselves. Their hope is not to be condemned to live in loneliness, excluded from one of civilization’s oldest institutions. They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The Constitution grants them that right (Corn,2015).” written by
In Obergefell v. Hodges (2015), the court determined gay marriage to be a constitutional right, striking down several dozen state laws against SSM. While there has been some residual pushback against this decision, overall there has been broad complacence due to a high level of public support for the decision. Little scholarship has been done on how this decision has been implemented because the discussion was made so recently, but some measures show that “99.87 percent of the U.S. population [lives] in a county where same-sex marriage licenses are available” ("Local Government Responses to Obergefell v. Hodges." n.d.). While there are some pockets of resistance it is clear that there is broad local compliance with this decision, likely because of its broad popularity. Instances in which local bodies choose to disregard the Obergefell decision are highly publicized, and generally receive a great deal of public criticism. Thus, the SSM marriage example has fulfilled the two conditions for successful policy, as interest groups were able to use the courts to accomplish a set of aims, and local support has allowed for the implementation of the policy. While there has been some pushback along the way, this pushback has only served to further raise awareness of issue in the minds of the American people, and helped this cause gain
The constitutional right of gay marriage is a hot topic for debate in the United States. Currently, 37 states have legal gay marriage, while 13 states have banned gay marriage. The two essays, "What’s Wrong with Gay Marriage?" by Katha Pollitt and "Gay "Marriage": Societal Suicide" by Charles Colson provide a compare and contrast view of why gay marriage should be legal or not. Pollitt argues that gay marriage is a constitutional human right and that it should be legal, while Colson believes that gay marriage is sacrilegious act that should not be legal in the United States and that “it provides a backdrop for broken families and increases crime rates” (Colson, pg535). Both authors provide examples to support their thesis. Katha Pollitt provides more relevant data to support that gay marriage is a constitutional right and should be enacted as law in our entire country, she has a true libertarian mindset.
The United States of America, as a whole, has pushed for rights and equality for any and all people. Gay rights and racial equality have received an ample amount of support as well as opposition. Even bringing up the other side’s argument may cause a debate in almost any environment. Today, Americans are easily offended by things that don’t agree with what they believe. America is full of passionate people who always have a cause to fight for or against. Gay marriage has been opposed countless times on local, state, and national levels. “Almost two- thirds of Republicans oppose the Supreme Court’s backing of gay marriage, according to Reuters/Ipsos Poll ” (Reuters). Even though another online survey stated that “more than half of Americans support it,” they still
"You robbed me of something very precious and I will never forgive you for that. Mr. McKinney, I give you life in the memory of one who no longer lives. May you have a long life and may you thank Matthew every day for it." Those were the words said by Dennis Shepard at the sentencing of Aaron McKinney, one of the men who tortured, robbed, and murdered his son Matthew Shepard. He was given a life sentence. States must inflict a harsher punishment for people who commit gay violence crimes because over the years hate crimes based on sexual orientation have become the third highest category reported.
In the 1800s, African Americans and women couldn’t own property, vote, or be truly free. Everyone was segregated by the pigment of their skin. This was institutionalizing severely in the south. According to the Gallup poll, ninety-six percent of blacks, 84% of whites approve interracial marriage in 2011. That’s a 79% increased favor compare to 1950s gallop poll. When science began to full throttle it help liberate the freedoms for the minority. Women are now more likely to get a four year degree than me which is different than it was in the 1970s. In the 1950s, interracial marriage was wrong. Homosexuality is currently illegal in major of the states of America. As science progresses with experiments, we will see homosexuality to be acceptable in our society. According to Lydia Saad, she said “The 63% now saying gay relations should be legal nearly matches the record-high 64% of a year ago, which came after a long-term increase in support for legality from 32% in 1986.” As science grows more, the Supreme Court will protect same sex
(357) Especially considering the changes made for the gay and lesbian community involvement in legalized marriage since this article was written in the July 5, 2004 issue of the Nation. This goes to prove to me that Moody’s prediction was accurate in assuming great changes were right around the corner in the development of marriage. I am further convinced of the advancement of homosexual marriage and believe that in the very near future there will be marriage equality for all. Allowing homosexuals the same rights as heterosexuals will benefit everyone simply by creating us all once again equal. This will create protection for all family units with
“Equal rights for lesbians and gay men may be the greatest civil rights battle of the 21st century” (Avery 2007, p. 71). Homosexual couples have been fighting a losing battle for years, and their struggle has recently taken the spotlight once again as a burning topic. Over the years, many people have come to support equal love. However, many Americans still advocate the one man-one woman institution of marriage. The fight for equal rights in general has always been a complex issue. African Americans, women, and many other minorities have had to fight for the rights that they hold today. There are many factors involved in gay activism such as support, attitudes, roles, and the implications of the movement. Social psychology takes a particular interest in gay rights and these factors in particular, as it is a current, controversial topic within American society.
Famous children’s author Dr. Seuss once said, “Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind". Gay rights, at the moment, are one of the most publicized and well known controversial subjects of this decade. The sides clearly drawn one fighting for rights as simple as being married the other stating that it defames their religion and goes against the definition of marriage, being between a man and a woman. The individuals who are fighting for their civil rights are fallowing the same path that African Americans and women have taken, but the change has started and in over 13 states gays have been given their basic rights and more state are joining in the fight both for and against the topic.
“Being gay is much more profound than simply a sexual relationship; being gay is part of that person’s core identity, and goes right to the very center of his being. It’s like being black in s society of whites, or a blonde European in a nation of black Asians” (Tamara L. Roleff). Although marriage, cohabitation and parenting styles of homosexual families pose no threats to the heterosexual society; many still believe same-sex marriage goes against its true purpose. “At the national level, American public opinion on the issue remains split (44 percent support legalizing same-sex marriage; 53 percent oppose same-sex marriage in a May 2010 Gallup Poll) even as opposition toward legalizing same-sex marriage is at its lowest point in decades (Jones, 2010)” (Amy B. Becker). Also to one’s surprise, among the vast amount of psychological disorders, homosexuality is not one. Homosexuals are just as capable of sustaining stable and successful relationships and families just as heterosexuals.
As the years have passed, homosexuality has become a very controversial topic. The fact that day by day they fight for equality just to be happy, I think it is an injustice that many people refuse to give them the rights they deserve.
Society is created with both homosexual and heterosexual individuals. Previously when certain laws discriminated against others, such as law for women's rights to vote, these laws were changed. Changing the traditions of the country does not mean that it will lead to the legalization of other extreme issues. Each ...
...ovement was very successful and is still being improved. The movement affects people today because homosexuals have more rights than before and society has become more open minded.
If the constitution promises equality before the law, what justification can there be for clearing rights to any member of society? More specifically what justification can there be for clearing rights to gays and lesbians? Lots of questions come to mind when the topic of gays and lesbians having equal rights as any other citizen in society would have. Should gays and lesbians have equal employment opportunities? Should they have the right to adopt a child, and should they have the right to marry their own sex partner. Well of course they should have the right to do all of these things just because they are human beings also.